The goals for column makes for pitiful reading. Just 5. 3 from open play, 1 from a corner and 1 from the penalty spot. The only time a striker has rippled the onion bag in open play was when Gayle’s low shot squirmed through the Southend keeper’s legs. It isn’t good enough and it is a pattern we have followed ever since our promotion to League One and the flogging of Benno to Charlton.

This season has seen us go with a 4-3-3 formation that we originally tried after Danny Green’s departure before injuries started to dictate other systems. This has largely seen Gayle as the main man with one of Woodall or Williams alongside and Elito flitting around behind them. Gayle hit 42 goals at Bishop’s Stortford last year so you’d expect him to be a finisher, but there is a lot on his shoulders being the main man in his first season in League football. It could’ve been a factor that saw him miss 5 chances, 3 of which were guilt-edge, in a 0-0 draw with Plymouth.

He again drew a blank from a very good chance to seal the game against Accrington, but he has certainly looked the most lively forward in the side. He hasn’t been helped by the insistence on using him for most of every match – against Accy he was asked to fill in as a stop-gap left midfield player after we scored, and looked shagged out of his brains by the 70 minute mark. Predictably he got cramp and went off with seconds left and followed it with an anonymous showing against Northampton. It might help the lad if we used him a bit more sensibly.

His strike partner hasn’t been quite so fixed, with Woodall starting the season in less than scintilating form. It later emerging he had a virus and after a good cameo against Plymouth which couldn’t quite force the win, Sam Williams was given his chance. He followed it with a decent showing against Gillingham but faded in subsequent matches, most conspicuous by his lack of involvement as the sole forward after we were reduced to 10 at Southend. Woodall made his comeback as sub in that match and helped swing the balance of play in our favour even if we didn’t get the reward for our endeavour.

But despite his frequent involvement in the play, Woodall has managed just two good efforts on goal in the last couple of games, and he isn’t helped by our tactics. With Gayle often filling the central berth, Brian spends a lot of his time in wide areas and not very much in the box. The problem was at its most stark against Northampton, with our front 3 becoming so strung out that Gayle didn’t have anybody within 20 yards of him with Woodall seemingly glued to the right touchline. Against Accrington it was better if not good, until we scored and decided to pull Gayle back and defend with about 8 players on our 18 yard line. We gave the impetus away and paid the expected price with Accy scoring an equaliser they barely deserved across the 90 minutes.

With goals from forwards rarer than tits on a bull, perhaps Josh Scott is wondering how he doesn’t get a game. In his only start so far, against Stevenage in the JPT, he scored, and he also had our best effort of the night against Northampton which the keeper turned away from the top corner. The last two seasons have seen his popularity wane but the severity of his illness and injury shouldn’t be underestimated. This season he looks lean and eager, even if he lacks a touch of the strength and top speed he had at his peak. You’d expect the only way these will return is with games, and with nobody else stepping up to the plate I think he deserves a run in the side to stake a claim.

Midfield is also a conundrum yet to be solved. Nobody can question Ogogo’s work rate and his covering in front of the defence has been vital on several occasions, but he certainly isn’t going to score or create judging by the 2 glaring misses so far this season. His 2 partners were initially Howell and Bingham, with the former playing a box-to-box role which has yielded two goals and some impressive displays. With Spillane moving out of the back line, it is Bingham who has perhaps unfairly been relegated. Although not quite on top of his form, Billy has been part of the build-up to many of our best chances, and we seem to create less in his absence. Mickey has the ability to unlock a defence, but he hasn’t played well recently and perhaps Bingham should be restored to the side.

One player who certainly should be in the team for my money is Dominic Green. Providing the link between midfield and attack, Elito’s form has been patchy at best with large periods of games passing by without him touching the ball. When he does get the ball around the box he does look dangerous, but these moments are too infrequent. Green has done well from the bench and against Stevenage, and I cannot fathom why he hasn’t even made it onto the pitch in the last two games.

How about the defence? Eleven goals conceded isn’t disastrous by any means, but the quality of the goals we’ve shipped has to be a worry. We threw away a point against Gillingham by leaving ourselves 3 on 2 at the back and once Spillane had missed his header we were dead and buried. The second goal at Wimbledon was laughably bad from our point of view, and we didn’t cover ourselves in glory conceding to Northampton and Accrington either. Not to mention Doe dropping us right in the shit at Southend with a short backpass that led to Wilkinson’s (incorrect) red card.

It is fair to say that Doey hasn’t had the best start to the season, the aforementioned incident perhaps a result of his generally timid demeanour which saw him pretty much stand off Akinfenwa all night on Tuesday. Whilst he and Spillane are both fine players in their own right, it wasn’t a partnership that looked so good in practice with neither dominating the incessant aerial exchanges this division offers. Almost every side has a big lump at the back, and we’ve gone some way to rectifying this with Wilkinson who has been excellent in his few outings so far. Whilst not so powerful to be the beast we probably need back there, he is very good in the air and impressive on the deck too.

Lewington is also not unimpeachable with the goals we’re conceding. We’ve long known his judgement on crosses isn’t the best but he seems unable to take command of his six-yard box, and frequently stays on his line for balls you’d expect him to claim. When he has come to collect he has looked unsure and even with his long reach loses out to the some of the stronger players he has to get past.

It isn’t all gloom though, with one huge positive in the shape of Femi. Probably our best performer so far, he has shown excellent defensive work and also provided an attacking outlet as he roams forward on the left. On the other side, Hoyte has also shown prowess in the opposing half and some steady defensive displays after a shaky start. Wilkinson, as has been mentioned, looks a real player, and Luke Howell has shown his ability in most matches so far.

You don’t get points for these things though, and until we start scoring goals we won’t be getting many.

We caught up with former Dagger Roy McDonough over the weekend for a chat about his time with the club, and a career which saw him sent off a staggering 22 times. Roy talks us through how his move came about, life under Dave Cusack, and also a career swansong at Heybridge with a certain Garry Hill.

Daggers fans of the mid-90s will remember Roy joining the club as a player in October 1994, but actually it could’ve been a lot different as he originally applied for the vacant manager’s position following John Still’s move to Peterborough. Roy had just been shown the door by Colchester despite having led them to the Conference and FA Trophy double just 2 years previously in his role as player-manager.

“I was interviewed for the manager’s job by the Chairman Dave Andrews and I think it was a toss up between myself and Dave Cusack. I remember saying to the chairman that you’re getting a player and a manager to play at that level but for some reason they chose Dave Cusack instead of me. All the chairman kept asking was how much it was going to cost him. But I got a £30,000 payoff from Colchester and a little company BMW, so for once in my life I was OK financially. I was willing to agree a contract for 3 months so they could see the job I was going to do for them and go from there. I think Dave thought I was trying to double deal him in case another pro club came in for me. But that was just not the case.”

In an effort to keep himself in shape, Roy ended up spending a couple of months with Braintree Town. But a fall-out after they sacked the manager saw him quit the club, and along with Jason Cook and Gary Bennett he joined up with the Daggers. On a personal level it proved a successful move with 7 goals in 22 league matches, until an ill-fated match against Altrincham where Roy was one of 3 Daggers sent for an early bath.

“Grovesy [Perry Groves] had already been sent off for a tackle, I got booked bang on half time for timewasting when we were a goal down! Early in the 2nd half, I played a ball up the line which clearly stayed in play but the linesman was flagging. I said to him “you’re as bad as that fucking ref”, and that was the 2nd yellow. I lost the plot with the ref, I knew he’d done me, and the red mist descended. I went bonkers. The linesman said in the hearing that he feared for his life! I got stitched up by the officials and I wasn’t happy about it. I went up to Lancaster Gate and they were gunning for me, talking about a ten match ban. I told a cock-and-bull story and got it reduced to five.”

It was an ultimately disappointing season for the Daggers and for Cusack, with a 15th place finish some way below expectation after Still had led us to 6th place the previous term. Things didn’t improve at the start of the following season, with 4 defeats in the opening 6 games leaving Cusack sweating for his future – especially with a proven manager in Roy already on the playing staff. Roy had missed the first few matches due to his suspension, but the second match after his return saw disaster strike again.

“I got sent off at Bromsgrove. A bloke went over the top, I needed stitches in my ankle, I was waiting for stitches in my head. The ref talked to me like a piece of dirt, telling me to get up. I gave him a bit of verbal and he sent me off, straight red. That day the Sunday Times had sent a reporter down to do an article on red cards. While I was sitting there having the stitches in my leg a guy asked if I wanted a cup of tea. I said “yeah 1 sugar, and do me a favour, bring me a baseball bat for that referee”. It made headline news. Dave sent me to play for the reserves down at Concord – I knew he wanted rid of me. We’d had a bad start and he was panicking about his job so the easiest thing for him to do was get me out of the club, and the first opportunity he did. He never fronted me, never turned up for our meeting. So I was off and running to Canvey Island with Grovesy. But I had a great spell at Dagenham, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.”

Roy doesn’t pull any punches when he talks, and the stories he tells me are just a flavour of what to expect from his new autobiography titled, appropriately enough, Red Card Roy. The book has been earning rave reviews, and from our conversation it is easy to see why as the anecdotes keep coming. When he wasn’t picking up suspensions, he was drinking ludicrous amounts of beer but also scoring plenty of goals – and he is certainly a memorable figure at all his previous clubs.

“I look back at my career and I think I left a mark at most places I went for one reason or another, whether I broke somebody’s nose or something more positive!”

Indeed he managed to etch his name in the Daggers record books by scoring the fastest hat-trick in the club’s history, an 8-minute salvo in the 2nd half of a game against Stafford, dragging us back from three behind to earn a point. But as his spell with the club ended, it was shortly to be followed by the end of Cusack’s miserable reign, something Roy doesn’t lack an opinion on.

“Dave’s record, he’d managed 4 clubs and not won a thing. Kettering, Doncaster, Boston and Rotherham – his record was shocking. I bet Dave Andrews looks back and thinks was that a good appointment? And he’d have to say, hand on heart, that no it wasn’t. Me and Dave [Cusack] got on well, I liked Dave. Nice fella, but as a manager? Never in a million years, he was shocking. He can’t deny that either.”

After moving to Canvey, Roy spent a few more years playing non-league football which coincidently included a spell at Heybridge Swifts under a certain Garry Hill, who would later go on to manage the Daggers. He made an immediate impact as the club won promotion to the Ryman Premier, but what did he make of the man at the helm?

“When I first joined Heybridge we got promoted to the Ryman Premier and for a little club like us it was no mean feat. I played centre back, 21 games at the end of that season. Garry Hill? The bloke hasn’t got a scooby doo. He’d come in, name the team, shout “come on” and that was his team talk and organisation. What he was good at was getting money and players into the club. I ran the club that half of that season. I ran it on the pitch, he didn’t say much, didn’t do much, but he always found money to bring players in. At that level with decent players you’re going to get promotion.”

A less than ringing endorsement, but another typically frank view from one of the game’s real characters.

Red Card Roy is available to buy on Amazon currently priced at £9.09.

League One looks a fairly open competition this year with several candidates priced between 5 and 12/1. Last year’s highest placed team still left in the division, Sheffield United, are predictably heading the market at a best price of 11/2. Much of last season’s side remains in place and they’ve added some further good quality players particularly in attack with Blackman, Cofie and Miller arriving. However, they will inevitably miss the jailed Ched Evans and have also transfer-listed experienced duo Montgomery and Cresswell. Close behind them is last season’s 5th place side, MK Dons, at 6/1. They have been pretty quiet over the summer but have added Ryan Lowe and Antony Kay in an effort to finally win automatic promotion.

Stevenage and Notts County were also well placed last year, in 6th and 7th respectively, and will be hoping to add the extra required to top the table this year. Stevenage have lost some good players over the summer though, including those who were on loan last season, and have made a host of signings to cover the gaps. Unfortunately for them, I think the changes will prove too great for them to mount a serious challenge and they sit as long as 33/1 with some firms. Notts County on the other hand look well poised. One of the best sides in the division after Christmas, they have offloaded some fringe players and made some good signings to add to their options. They may fall just short of the top 2 but could prove a decent each-way choice at 12/1.

Of the relegated sides, Doncaster have cut their cast of merceneries and replaced them with a more sensible array of players who should be more than capable at this level including David Cotterill, Jamie McCombe and Billy Paynter. Early indications are that they can mould a team quickly with 2 wins from 2, and they are very backable at 12/1. Coventry probably don’t have enough to bother the best sides and aren’t worth backing even at 16/1, whilst the less said about Portsmouth the better.

Newcomers from the other direction, Swindon, are an interesting proposition and have been marked up as third favourites partly due to their scintilating form in the second half of last season, and partly due to some good recruitment including Tommy Miller and Jay McEveley. I can definitely see them being in the shake-up come May but don’t think they will quite repeat last season’s heroics.

This year our cash is going on Sheffield United (11/2) and an each-way shot on Doncaster (12/1).

In the top scorer market, Ryan Lowe is the leading contender at 14/1 having just signed for MK Dons. However, at 33 I’d be surprised if he can net enough goals at this level, with his most prolific spell coming in League 2 a few years ago. Gary Alexander is a similar price and almost certain to knock them in for Crawley but perhaps not the 20+ that are required to take the award. Third favourite is Bournemouth’s Lewis Grabban but despite his obvious ability I would again be surprised to see him notch enough over the season to top the charts.

Nick Blackman at Sheffield United should certainly have a good season if the Blades are to challenge, and he sits at an attractive 25/1 with Coral. His striker partner seems undecided at the moment, but if Shaun Miller forces his way into the side, don’t be surprised to see the 40/1 shot rattling them in. Last season’s joint-8th place man Francis Zoko has joined promotion-chasing Notts County and is a decent bet at 33/1. Those of you interested in former Daggers will notice Paul Benson chalked up at 40/1 and Wes Thomas at the same price, although both have already found themselves on the bench this season.

Our pick for this season will be an each-way bet on Nick Blackman at 25/1.

There’s already an overwhelming favourite to win the division this season, with Rotherham as short as 5/2 to triumph. Much like Crawley last season, they have money behind them and have just moved into a new stadium which should give them a big boost. However, at that price they are almost unbackable especially as they aren’t hugely better than their rivals on paper. Following the Crawley model even more closely is Fleetwood who won the Conference last season after splashing the cash, and they’ve done the same this summer with a host of signings. At 15/2 they are still a decent bet but may take a little while to gel.

Of last year’s nearly men, Southend and Cheltenham may struggle to quite hit those heights again although both should be good for playoff places. Gillingham’s form after Christmas wasn’t anything to shout about and they haven’t been particularly active in the transfer market to rectify this. Torquay are probably the side with most momentum as the 3rd best side in the division after Christmas and they’ve made some decent signings over the summer. Still available at 25/1 with BetVictor, there is plenty of value each way.

One side I expect to surprise a few are Aldershot. The 5th best side in the division after Christmas, they’ve been simmering for a while now and although they’ve lost two good players in Jones and Straker, they’ve also made some shrewd signings. The bookies are certainly confused as they are available at 33/1 in a number of places but as short as 14 in others! They are certainly worth a small interest.

Of the relegated sides – Rochdale, Exeter, Chesterfield and Wycombe – the first two certainly look like mid-table candidates without making too much close-season noise. Chesterfield and Wycombe both had marginally better ends to last season as they fought to escape relegation, and Chesterfield certainly seem to have a good squad on paper and sit at 14/1. Don’t be put off by their opening day defeat – Swindon lost 4 of their first 5 last season and still won the league! Wycombe’s first team may be impressive but they seem to lack depth to the squad so their success may be dictated by luck with injury.

So at the top of the division this season, our money is going on each-way bets for Chesterfield (14/1) and Aldershot (33/1).

At the other end of the table, Barnet are doomed if the bookies are to be believed, sitting at just 2/1 for relegation. Burton follow closely and that is also little surprise – they were dire after Christmas last season and don’t seem to have improved very much. However, for a slightly better value bet, Wimbledon currently sit at 8/1. They won’t have the surprise factor this year and definitely lacked quality last season.

In the top scorer market, predictably a Rotherham striker leads the way with Nardiello at 14/1. However, his previous season’s best is 13 goals and although he’ll get a lot of chances in a good side, he’s far from a sure bet. A far better option at 18/1 is Wycombe’s Stuart Beavon. He got 25 last season despite their relegation and should be in a more successful side this time.

Anybody looking for longer odds could do a lot worse than Cheltenham’s Shaun Harrad at 33/1. Another side who will be in the top half, Harrad should be their main man this year having previously netted 22 and 19 in consecutive seasons at this level for Burton. With most firms paying 1/4 the odds on a top 4 place, this guy is definitely worth a punt.

The eternally optimistic amongst you may be looking for a Daggers bet in this market. The unproven Dwight Gayle is 33/1 but a better option might be Brian Woodall at 66/1 after netting 13 times in his first season at this level.

However our money is definitely going each-way on Beavon (18/1) and Harrad (33/1).

After the gut-wrenching defeat at home to Northampton, it was almost impossible to see where the next win was coming from. Sterile going forwards, error-prone at the back – not a recipe for success. So what changed? Well, for the next game against Macclesfield, very little. The side was 10 parts the same, but for once we rode our luck. Even after Nursey and Akinde shared 3 missed sitters, we claimed the match 2-0 as Elito picked a very welcome moment to grab a brace.

It was a turning point in many ways – getting the rub of the green, finding the back of the net twice, keeping a clean sheet, and the beginnings of a settled side. I complained furiously back in March as we simply made things worse for ourselves with constant personnel changes beyond those enforced by injury. Finally we kept our key positions nailed down.

The back four of Doe, Baudry, Arber and McCrory played seven consecutive games, with Spillane and Ogogo ever-present as a formidable shield in front of them and Elito linking up the attacking play. What followed was our best form and football of the season.

Even when Lewington comically allowed a speculative strike to bounce past him at Barnet a few days later, the two dropped points were not enough to drop our heads. The fight that had returned was never more evident than in the victory against Accrington in the very next match. Behind with 5 minutes left, Spillane worked some magic to set up Woodall for the equaliser, and then worked a very different kind as he wound up the idiotic Nsiala sufficiently for him to take the bait, raise his hands, and get sent off. With the visiting defence still in disarray, Elito picked out Doe to head the winner deep into injury time.

There was a very rare feeling as we made the trip to Port Vale. Perhaps we actually had a good chance of winning away? We had our tails up, and Vale’s were very much down after a ten-point deduction and some less than impressive form. Spillane’s bullet header gave us the lead, but of course there was more late drama. It wouldn’t be Dagenham otherwise. This time Lewington was the hero, saving a penalty after substitute debutant Wassmer had tried to play piggy-backs in the area. Needless to say, we didn’t see a lot more of him.

A third consecutive win at home to Burton would just about have made us safe, but the rollercoaster hadn’t quite finished. Behind with 2 minutes left, Woodall came up with a strike from the edge of the box to secure a welcome point. And so onto Gillingham, chasing the play-offs and with a point to prove after we rolled them over earlier in the season. Yes, we did actually manage to beat a couple of half-decent sides during the season.

What followed was an absolutely superb performance. Woodall got things going with a first-half strike after the keeper spilt Ogogo’s shot, with Vine scoring a somewhat undeserved equaliser on the hour. It only served to set up possibly the best moment of the season – step forward Mr Dominic Green. After a tortuous season of niggles and strains, it was sweet reward as he finally got to show his true ability on the pitch. A run from just inside the Gills half, starting with a cheeky little nutmeg, carried him to the edge of the box to cut inside and unleash a low drive into the bottom corner.

When the final whistle went, it was absolute sweet relief from a season of struggle which we had just about overcome. The pressure was off for a couple of entertaining draws against Aldershot and Crawley, before a creditable performance at Shrewsbury which ultimately saw us lose by a single goal and them seal promotion.

The final match of the season was party time as the Daggers romped to a 4-0 win courtesy of Woodall’s hat-trick and a first Daggers goal for DJ Green. That took Woodall’s tally to 13 for the season, but crucially, 6 in the last 8 matches. He can only be applauded for making such a jump from Gresley within 10 months and ending the season having turned promise into effectiveness. Another huge factor in our upturn in form was Mathieu Baudry’s presence in the back line. Decent in the air, no slouch on the deck, strong in the challenge and cultured in possession. Could he be the best defender to pull on a Daggers shirt?

Anyway, that is quite enough of last season. Onto the new season. Still a Football League club. Phew.

Back in early January, it seemed we had finally started our season with 7 points from 3 games. It proved, however, to be a false dawn.

In several recent games we simply haven’t shown up. A 5-0 replay defeat at Millwall, the same scoreline against promotion chasers Cheltenham, 4-0 at Swindon, 4-1 at Crewe. The goals we’ve conceded are often laughable, our attacking threat often non-existant. Take the Crewe game for example – unmarked players queueing up for the first, and an air-shot from Lewington which saw Ogogo’s backpass roll into the net. Or Cheltenham, conceding from a corner which Femi should have prevented, giving their centre-half the freedom of the box to control and score from a 2nd corner, and Hogan parrying the ball straight out to gift-wrap the 3rd goal.

But despite the drubbings in these matches, it is the ones against our rivals which have really cost us. From recent games against Hereford, Plymouth, Wimbledon and Northampton we have the grand total of 1 point. That sole point came in a 0-0 draw at Home Park, but not before Argyle had twice rattled the frame of the Daggers goal. The others games brought two 1-0 defeats and a 2-1 reverse.

The fact that we are barely able to score a goal against some of the leakiest defences in the division tells you a story of our season. Just 34 goals scored in 36 games, the lowest in the league.

But there are problems at the other end too. Despite not being troubled defensively for the bulk of these games, we have still found a way to concede. If you can’t win the game, the least you can do is take the point on offer. But no, we seem incapable of keeping our concentration for 90 minutes. Take the Hereford game – yet another goal from a corner – or the Northampton game where Lewington spilt a shot straight out to the oncoming forward. The Wimbledon game was a similar story as the on-loan Bond let a soft goal in at his near post for the winner. Bond was dropped in the wake of this only for Lewington to make the aforementioned error in the next game, which certainly leaves John with a selection headache.

We’ve also relinquished bonus points at Torquay and Oxford, games we would never have expected to get something from, by conceding scarcely deserved and avoidable goals.

There have been some rare highlights however. Possibly the best performance of the season brought a 2-1 win at Morecambe, which was immediately followed by a gritty and determined 1-0 victory over Bradford, who always seem to struggle against us.

The main reason offered up for our current plight is almost always the same: Injuries. As we had feared, Maher and Gain have been missing from the side ever since the holiday period, and although Josh Scott was quickly back in the fold after yet another setback, his fitness has again suffered. Further injury woe has come in the shape of niggles for Femi and Dom Green, whilst also robbing us of new signing Matt Saunders after just 3 games. More recently Doe has been absent, whilst it seems Josh Parker will also miss upcoming games with a knee injury sustained in only his first match.

Loan signings have been plentiful in an attempt to plug the gaps. Central midfield players Abdulla and Wearen came in from West Ham, and out wide we’ve seen Ben Reeves from Southampton and Parker from Oldham attempt to inject some spark. Jonathan Bond arrived from Watford to fill in after Lewington’s 2nd red card of the season, and Mathieu Baudry formed something like our 7th centre-half pairing of the season alongside Arber in the last game. But how much have these players actually brought to the party?

Wearen was quickly deemed surplus to requirements with the bustle of League Two seeming to overwhelm him. Ben Reeves was hooked in all but 1 of his 5 appearances, the one being a very good showing in the Morecambe game. But he didn’t even make the bench upon Parker’s arrival, whose sole outing against Northampton was impressive if futile without anybody looking likely to get on the end of his crosses. Abdulla managed to keep his place for some time but it would be stretching it to say he did well – he has since re-joined but is yet to make an appearance in his 2nd spell. That leaves Bond as the only one who has really helped us, showing a calm head and helping to settle a jumpy backline, keeping a recently erratic Lewington on the bench after his ban was served.

But there were alternatives to the constant disruption of the team. Richard Rose, who hasn’t started a game since being part of the side which took 7 points from 9 over Christmas, could have kept his place at right-back. Without him, we have pushed Spillane between right-back and centre-back so many times he has almost disappeared up his own arse. He was again switched to right-back against Northampton with loan player Baudry coming into the side, and the point was rammed home as Mickey was beaten in the build-up to the winning goal. Doe has also been deployed at right-back as we continue to tinker with the back line.

Ogogo has understandably been deployed in midfield, as the only player with the required energy to get around the pitch. But he has seen so many different partners and systems that any rhythm has been impossible. Sometimes it is 3 with Bingham and Saunders, other times it is 2 with just Saunders or just Bingham, and now Luke Howell is back in the fold. Saunders’ absence was enforced, but surely we could have at least minimised the other changes?

Dom Green, one our better players before picking up a knock at Oxford, has had to settle for 4 consecutive games on the bench upon his recovery as loan players get the nod. Cunnington, who looked like he was at least interested in getting into the box, has gone out on loan despite a 3-game ban for Scott and Woodall carrying a groin injury. Yet despite all the changes, there has been one beacon of consistency; Nurse has continued to start despite scoring 1 goal in his last 20 games.

So we now find ourselves 4 points from safety. We must beat Macclesfield, and we must find another win within the 3 games following it just to stay in touch. Unfortunately guys, that requires us to score.

Taking in such delights as Accrington and Macclesfield, here is our collection of away-day photos from the last year.

In a bid to cater to your every whim, we offer a plethora of viewing possibilities. You can click each image for a larger version in a popup, click here to view the images on Flickr, or even click here to view the images as a rather swanky slideshow. We spoil you don’t we?

Swindon Town, 12th March 2011

Leyton Orient, 22nd March 2011

Peterborough United, 7th May 2011

Macclesfield Town, 6th August 2011

Bradford City, 20th August 2011

Rotherham United, 10th September 2011

Northampton Town, 24th September 2011

Cheltenham Town, 8th October 2011

Accrington Stanley, 26th November 2011

Southend United, 2nd January 2012

Crewe Alexandra, 21st January 2012

Plunged to the bottom of League Two with the 1-2 reverse against Port Vale, a fug had consumed the terraces with the Conference trapdoor beckoning. Fast forward three weeks, and things are looking up. Fingers of sunlight have begun to shine through the gloom. Knocking Walsall out of the cup has triggered an upturn in fortunes which was long overdue, if not anticipated.

That game at the Bescott marked the return from injury of Maher, for the second time already this season. Unlike the first time around, he set about making his presence felt. The plodding and puffing displays of a man unfit and unable to keep up with runners into the box were a thing of the past; this was the player we all wanted and expected when he signed in the summer. Unfortunately I’m talking in the past tense because, you guessed it, he’s crocked again.

The injury situation this season has been nothing short of a joke. And it isn’t a funny one. Like Maher, Josh Scott has made a long-awaited return to the starting eleven. Eeking towards full fitness, he brought with him the ability to keep hold of the ball up front, to provide a focus for our attacks. Again, like Maher, he is out again.

Still, having this duo at the top of their powers simultaneously, albeit for just a handful of games, has provided a timely boost to the side. Crucially, they aren’t the only ones reaching the peak of their capacity. Dominic Green is back and just beginning to find his feet after a career stalled on Peterborough’s scrap heap. His first start against Barnet brought a searing run capped with a fizzing strike against the bar to remind us what we’ve all been missing. In two games since he has shown more rounded performances in a new attacking central midfield position. Billy Bingham is now fully fit after a stop-start few months and, although we’ve lost Gain to yet another injury, he looks ready to stake his claim with classy touch and quiet efficacy.

The fluidity of our attack in a loose 4-3-3 system has been palpable. Cristian Montano has thrived playing off Woodall and Scott; indeed, both provided assists for his double against the Bees. And with Scott now back on the treatment table, Woodall himself has stepped up to the plate in front of goal, scoring in 3 consecutive games.

Another big factor in our improved form has surely been Spillane’s rebirth in the centre of defence. Exposed in his early games at right-back, a move into the middle has seen an upturn in fortunes. He is calm and assured in possession, able to control the ball and find a teammate rather than simply hammering it into row Z. He is reminiscent of a young Mark Arber. It is no coincidence that Scott Doe is finally turning the corner after a spell of poor form, nor that we’ve only conceded 3 goals in the last 5 games.

Mark Arber is due to return from injury imminently, players such as Elito and McCrory are back in contention, Ogogo’s suspension has been served. Is everything starting to come together?

Possibly, but there is cause for caution before we all get giddy. If Maher, Gain and Scott are absent for any length of time and if we are unable to twist Mr Allardyce’s arm to prolong Montano’s stay, the squad will be looking decidedly threadbare once again. It remains to be seen if we can plug any gaps with further loan signings.

Momentum is key; now we finally have some, we really need to keep hold of it.

The most worrying aspect is that you can’t see where a win is coming from. A month or so ago, the team wasn’t playing terribly but was making mistakes in both boxes. Now we’re still making the mistakes, but we have also lost all concept of how to play football. Effort comes in sporadic bursts rather than by the bucketload as we’ve come to expect in recent years.

Where is it going wrong? The defence is an easy place to start – 15 goals conceded in the last 5 games, including a penalty in every single one of those. Captain Mark Arber is playing like a man whose 34 years aren’t just catching up with him, they’ve galloped past him into the distance. Giving the ball away in bad areas, not winning his aerial duels, being caught for pace and easily given the slip. Scott Doe isn’t covering himself in glory either – red cards in both his last 2 games and some rather tentative displays. Ogogo has been out of form ever since a cast appeared on his arm.

It is difficult to lay all the blame at their door though, given how little help they receive from midfield. Kevin Maher’s 4 games back before another injury consisted mainly of a one-paced jog around the middle of the field with the occasional pass or header. The number of tackles or interceptions he made could probably be counted on one hand and he seems to have a habit of giving runners a free pass into our box. Oliver Lee, who has only just returned to West Ham, also seemed incapable of doing any of the graft required to play in central midfield.

We have also persisted with 2 very attacking wide players which means only Peter Gain is doing anything to help the defence. When you are struggling and conceding so many goals, it might be a good idea to adopt a slightly more cautious approach. Talking of the wingers, it seems Gavin Tomlin’s purple patch is over and we are struggling to fill the other berth with only DJ Green fully fit. DJ at least puts a shift in, even though he is struggling to make an impression. It is a big ask for a young lad such as him to lift a poor side.

With experienced players such as Maher, Arber and Tomlin not really doing enough to arrest this slump, it wasn’t exactly devastating to find them all injured for Saturday’s game against Shrewsbury. Moving Ogogo into midfield finally gave us the energy, tenacity and tackling ability we’ve lacked for most of the season and Femi did a superb job in the middle of the defence. Rose, who came in at right-back, didn’t have such a successful start though as he headed a hopeful punt into the path of Gornell for an early opening goal.

Despite this setback, our new-look line-up meant we looked decidedly more secure than we have in recent weeks. It remains to be seen whether Maher and Arber will be put straight back into the side when they return to fitness, but it would be very harsh if they were.

There is, of course, another major problem in our recent performances; scoring goals. Or rather, not scoring goals.

In the last 3 matches we have barely mustered a shot on target. It has been deckchair time for opposing keepers who could probably take a nap during play were it not for the constant goal-kicks yielded by our aimless long balls. We haven’t even looked like we might manage a goal, and indeed the only one we have scored in these matches was a free kick which was badly dealt with by Crawley’s Shearer.

Jon Nurse has been a fixture, mainly due to the chronic injury problems plaguing our other front-line forwards. Unfortunately this is perhaps the worst period of form for the Barbados international since his first season with the club. Yes he has managed a few goals this season, but he hasn’t been at the races for large parts. He seems to lack any kind of sharpness or spark, and the tireless running and tenacity which used to be his main qualities simply aren’t showing up.

He has largely been paired with Woodall, who is learning fast but of course is still very inexperienced. He often shows ability in the air and on the deck and can hold the ball up and defenders off, but in reality both him and Nurse are living on scraps.

The quality of the ball forward has been dreadful in recent weeks. This was typified by the last 30 minutes of Saturday’s game, where every single ball forwards seemed to be a lump onto the head of Ian Sharps. Nursey jumps well for a guy his size, but what chance does he have against mammoth centre halves?

We have been direct ever since John took over, and I have absolutely no problem with that. But to play that way, you need a couple of things: the ability to direct well-judged long balls into the channels, and forwards who can win those balls, lay it off, and then make a beeline for the penalty box. We currently have neither of these. It seems to me that nobody wants the ball for fear of losing it, and the majority of our balls forward are badly directed and badly weighted.

So what is Plan B? Well, it is something John doesn’t think exists – we play our way, we work on playing that way all week, and we implement it on Saturdays. I can completely understand this, but surely it is possible to vary it slightly? Take Saturday for instance – Plan A is our usual way of playing which involves trying to hit the channels. However, what we are actually doing is hitting the centre halves on the bonce. We are failing to execute our plan, but we keep doing the same thing over and over again.

By this point we had a man advantage, and our main danger men, the wingers, are seeing absolutely none of the ball. Can’t we find a way to go through the midfield so we can get the ball wide? I’m not asking for 127 passes, but maybe a forward or a midfielder could come short for the ball and knock it to Green or Scannell. It doesn’t even have to be on the floor – it could be a clipped pass into the chest of Woodall. But what we surely cannot keep doing is hammering the ball onto the defender’s head.

It will be very interesting to see how John deals with this in the coming weeks. And yes, before anybody asks that particular question; it should definitely be John who gets the chance to rectify this predicament.

Since last month’s narrow but poignant defeat at the hands of Hereford, the defence have finally succumbed to the burden of having to keep a clean sheet to stand a chance in any game. You sensed it had been coming, but the point was forcefully hammered home at Edgar Street.

Some of our defending since has been shambolic. The following week’s visit to the hell-on-earth which is the Don Valley Stadium saw the “home” side hit three first-half goals without really breaking sweat. Phil Walsh, who certainly gives his all but just isn’t cut out for life in the Football League, was found wanting and replaced at half-time but the damage was already done by then. It strikes me as strange that Walshy is seemingly our 3rd-choice centre back when we have a surplus (when fit) of midfield players, but that is a conversation for another day.

The Oxford match was more of a return to our normal pattern of creating chances and failing to convert. Nurse, Woodall and Williams were all guilty and Hall’s goal shortly before half-time was enough to give the visitors the spoils. It would be difficult to blame the defence on this occasion, but Morecambe’s long trip south a few days later saw another exhibition of how not to defend.

One long, diagonal ball was enough to cut out the entire back-line on two occasions, one of which ended with the ball in the back of our net. A quickfire second left us on the ropes but Lee made things interesting with an exquisite free kick into the top corner. Woodall provided a more pro-active attacking force from the bench as his header was cleared from the line, but the game was lost through our two defensive howlers.

And so it continued at Northampton. Early in the game Lewington made a superb double save and still no Dagger reacted as Davies gleefully fired the ball into the Daggers net. We were much improved after the break but couldn’t find a goal, Williams missing a sitter with his head from inside the 6-yard box, and Scannell firing a good chance wide. When roly-poly Akinfenwa headed home Northampton’s only chance of the half it added insult to injury, meaning Lee’s last-gasp shot straight through the cardboard keeper wasn’t enough to save a point.

A run of 5 straight league defeats with just 3 goals scored and 9 conceded was finally halted with a vital three points against Crewe. The Daggers started very well but neither Nurse nor Tomlin could convert their chances. The predictable goal came with 15 minutes left, Moore bundling home a rebound. But, for once, the Daggers clawed their way back. Tomlin, who had a fine game in a left-wing role, ran at the defence and crossed for Williams to poke the ball in. And deep into the injury time partly created by Crewe’s own time-wasting, Rose, erm, rose to head home McCrory’s corner and seal the comeback.

It seemed this form would be carried into the game at Cheltenham as a bright start from the Daggers saw Nurse head a good chance over and Tomlin denied by the bar after a lovely move between himself, Lee and Scannell. Williams’ season-ending injury against Crewe gave loan signing Troy Hewitt a chance to shine, and he almost marked the occasion with a goal. He done well to get on the end of Nurse’s excellent right-wing cross but could only spoon the ball up from 6 yards. Although the ball wasn’t finding its way into the net, the movement of Nurse and Hewitt as a pair was a welcome relief after weeks of watching a static front-line without the hunger to get into goalscoring positions.

After controlling the half so well against a good side, it was incredibly frustrating to fall behind. A harsh free-kick was lofted into the Daggers box, and Bennett was given the freedom to nod the ball just inside the post with the defence asleep. Thankfully we took some reward from the half as Scannell almost immediately drove at the defence and crossed for Nurse to turn the ball home.

The expected second-half impetus never came. An early goal from more slack defending set the tone, Pack’s pass squirming under Gain’s foot to Spencer who drilled past Lewington’s somewhat early dive. Gain had largely controlled the first period but was helpless after this as the Robins dominated proceedings. A midfield 4 of Scannell, Lee, Gain and Tomlin looked increasingly fragile with 3 attack-minded players, something which had been hinted at in periods against Morecambe and Oxford when the opposition enjoyed possession.

Pack bossed the second period in the absence of any physical challenge to his possession of the ball, and only Lewington’s superb goalkeeping kept the score down particularly when turning Spencer’s header away.

This recent run means Saturday’s visit of Plymouth takes on huge significance as the Daggers find themselves in a real fight to stay clear of the drop zone. It seems we are really struggling at the moment to put together a 90-minute performance despite patches of good play. It is what happens in the 2 boxes that decides football matches, and we’re making mistakes in both at the moment. The defence need to regain the focus which led to our early-season clean sheets, whilst we are still to find the right blend in midfield and up front. I would recall Bingham to add some bite alongside Gain and keep Lee in reserve for any late salvage missions. Hopefully the return of Green and Elito will also offer us the chance to do something different in attack.